Stephen McDonald

Accommodation and Confrontation (Acts 17:16-34)

If you travel, what do you look for? When you’re a tourist in another place, do you look for beauty? For skill? For ideas? Do you look to see what you can learn about people’s beliefs? God tells us that we are foreigners in our own culture too. In Hebrews 11:13-16, we are told aboutContinue reading “Accommodation and Confrontation (Acts 17:16-34)”

One Another

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, One of the most amazing passages in the whole Bible is what happened to Saul the Pharisee on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-9, 22:6-16, 26:12-18). It’s a familiar story to many of us: Saul had been an approving witness to the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen theContinue reading “One Another”

My Soul Refuses to Be Comforted (Psalm 77)

Psalm 77 speaks to us about an experience that is common, that many of us know all too well. It speaks of suffering. It speaks of how we face suffering, and where we can turn for God’s help. Hear this account of a suffering man: “I tried to sleep but couldn’t. Part of it wasContinue reading “My Soul Refuses to Be Comforted (Psalm 77)”

Being People of the Book (Acts 17:10-15)

Last time as we were looking at Acts 17, the main lessons for us were about how Paul preached, how he opened the Scriptures to the people at Thessalonica. The lessons there are particularly about how the Scriptures should be taught. Today, we’re looking at the other side of the conversation, looking at how weContinue reading “Being People of the Book (Acts 17:10-15)”

Jesus is Christ and Lord (Acts 17:1-10)

Ladies, I have something to tell you: Men have a secret ability, a super power if you will. We learned it from our dads, and we teach it to our sons: Men can hear instructions, directions, plans, concerns, hopes, dreams, and feelings, without listening to a word. And you probably haven’t even noticed! Hearing doesn’tContinue reading “Jesus is Christ and Lord (Acts 17:1-10)”